Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1887-10-19
highly complimcnted his colleagues % The
x-Gcvcfnor Gear.

l FHAH ~ 1-oSvOEbiOF NG8fs
The Hon. John H. Gear opened the cam.
pAiRn at Mediapolis. deliver .n9 an eloquen'
speech. In which he reviewed the acts Of TIL
Democratic administration, contrasting III
promises with its acts Of fulfllment, taking
up the further promises of democrats aud
putting against all this the work done BIZ
the Republicans both at home in Iowa and
by the General Government when under
Republican control.
He began with the quotation from
Democratic paper asking the question az "a
what the country had lost by turning the
Republicans out of office. and in answering
this question pointed out some Of tbs
losses. The country had lost By the change
the guidance OF that patriotic inisEence
which, while succeeding the Democratic
party in 1851, found a depleted treasury,
its army and navy scattered, and the con
tents Of Its national nrsenals transferred 10
tho control of the South, and led the oun
try safely through four years Of war and the
reconstruction Of the States in rebellion.
By turning Republicans cut Il country
had lost that wise financial policy which
reduced the debt and made the nations pa
per equal to gold and silver. 1t had lost
that influence which had dignited labor
and given it a better reward than anywhere
else in the civilized world. 1t had made
all men free and equal before the law.
BY turning the Republicans out of dice
the country had gained the rule of n party
which, when a President was chosen dis
tasteful TO it, raised the standard of rebel
lion and strove to rend asu de the Repub-
lie; it had gained the k owledge that the
giant wrong which had SO long ruled and
polluted tue nation sill lives in spirit. it
had gained an administration which had
been able TO devise no poi y for TIE reyis-
ion OF the revenue laws except the boz
zontal reduction of tie taliT, and in ling
In hat declared ia iayor of n tariff for rev.
enue only, which meant FIR trade; ii had
gained president who adj vetoed more
acts of Congress than all the o,her Ere ii-
dents since the formato on Ct the Govern
meat; it had gained an administration
which in all is conventions offered a
sop" to the Ilish by adopting Resolutions
in sympathy with "home rule" in ireland,
yet turned q deaf ear to the $4,000 imbelii-
gent people in Dakota WHO are knecaing ut
the door of Congress for admission, refus-
ing their reIuest for the sole Ieason that
the people Of that tiourisLing Territory are
in sympathy with Republican principles.
The country had gained a President who
had been so forgetful OF the patriotic SER
slSts u tnC ulou WIZ Sutu llell DlpJu IOT
the preservation OF the Union as TO offer to
restore the captured flags to the men who
fought under them to destroy the Govern
ment. 1t had gained an administration
which declared itself in favor of ciyil-ser-
vice reform and still INDUCED in the work
OF turning out faithful public servants in
the name OF offensive paltisaus.
The country had ga ned an adminis'ra-
lion which during its l,ng lease of power
prior to 1851 never enacted a law in the
interest OF the labor OF this country. The
Repub leans had passed the homestead law,
and adopted the policy Of protecting the
industries of this country, by which they
had been fostered until labor was much
better rewarded here than anywhere else
in the world. The speaker here took up
the arguments OF Democrats against pro-
lection and demolished each by simply
quoting tn ir own statistics.
Then turning from National to State pol
tiles, be called attention to the question of
the right Of q State to control corporations
created by and under State laws. Iowa
was the first State to take this step. In
1874 the granger law was adopted, which
prescribed the maximum schedule Of rates
for the carrying of freight and passengers.
This had been the first law in the interest
" tAC pCopac No uSuiubt tuo COrpOfdtiOHS
and the interstate commerce law followed in
the same line, and was passed by Repub-
licans. He pointed out the provisions of
the new law, and Endorsed it. 1t had not
given the relief expected, because it was
changing old and settled customs, and in
the nature Of things would require time.
But much Of the dis abstraction lad grown
out of the ~unaccountable delay of the Pres
ident in complying with the provisions of
the law. The law provided for the i'm
mediate appointment OF a commission who
were to have sixty days to study and FORM
ulate o policy of enforcing the law, but the
President neglected to appoint this COM
mission until a few days before this law
went into operation. The gentlemen had
no time to study the law, and they were
under the necessity of suspending it in
cases., that they might investigate and not
do wrong to any people.
But the people of the United States
could hardly expect to realize perfection in
a single act Of Congress, and that the first
n on the question. We could with rea-
son hope that with a few amendments,
such as time would dictate. that the ques-
ton was near a satisfactory settlement.
The Parliament of Great Britain had dur
ing the last fifty years enacted over 3, 800
avs Of control over railroads in that coun-
try and had not yet solved the ~transporta-
ton problem. Great Britain had little
more than double the mileage Of railroads
that belonged to the State of Iowa alone.
Ex-Gov. Gear then called attention
to the difference between the platforms OF
the Republican and Democratic parties in
Iowa on the transn o~rtation nnasfion